


Wait

by Cherry_B



Series: Cressi Week 2k18 [5]
Category: Men's Football RPF
Genre: Alternate Universe - Creatures & Monsters, M/M, cressiweek2k18, slight body horror
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-10-06
Updated: 2018-10-06
Packaged: 2019-07-25 22:27:07
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,863
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16206929
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Cherry_B/pseuds/Cherry_B
Summary: Leo is just a human looking to help out creatures down on their luck. Curse his soft heart.





	Wait

"No," Leo says as Angel approaches him. 

"You didn't even give me a chance to speak!" 

Leo shrugs. It's been rough, the N.H.C. has been rounding up many of their runners in the outskirts of the city. The number of safe houses have seen a sharp decline since the recent move by Florentino Perez. He doesn't have time to deal with one of Angel's favors.

"Leo," he says, flopping down next to him at the bar. "I wouldn't come to you if this wasn't serious."

"No."

"We have a connection, we're good on this."

Leo drops a few coins on the counter and stands before Angel lays a soft hand on his shoulder. Leo looks over at the furry arm, the only sign that Angel is anything but human and tracks it up to Angel's face. 

"Your dealer is getting better," Leo says and then Angel changes everything.

"It's Cristiano." 

*~*~*~*

Cristiano Ronaldo is a special kind of being. Leo first met him when they were teenagers, before the Rules of Governance dictated everything from how much food each creature could consume to who you could acquaint yourself with. 

Leo hasn't seen him in years, not since Ronaldo aligned himself with those in power and left Leo and many others to fend for themselves. 

Being human has its disadvantages in a world filled with powerful beings. Leo has never complained and doesn't ever plan to but running through the brush that surrounds the Mayor's home he wishes he had something to help him. Maybe Angel's speed or Kun's tough skin. Even Gerard's superior strength could mollify his frustration with all the nicks and pokes he's powering through. 

When Angel had said Cristiano's name Leo had wanted to turn and walk away but he couldn't. He had always had a hard time ignoring Cristiano's presence, his very existence demanded everyone's attention. He could blame Cristiano's second characteristics but it's something beyond that. It's the lingering memories of secret meetings, gentle touches and whispered promises that fell through. 

Leo feels a lot of things when he sees the unjust treatment of Non Humans, there have been miracles and families reunited that make his hard work worth it. On a daily basis he is a mixed ball of anger, frustration, stress, relief, contentment, pride. The truth is nothing has ever made his blood sing like Cristiano Ronaldo. It's why he finds himself running along Angel in the middle of the night, having set up a check point miles away and zero backup except Angel's inside contact.

Angel stops, a few yards ahead and Leo slows down, from the shadows of a tree a bent figure emerges. 

Leo tenses up, expecting a foul stench, one that forever accompanies people like Gerard but it never comes. Instead the figure limps forward, the little light that the crescent moon offers illuminates him and Leo takes a step back. 

Not a ghoul but a shapeshifter.

"Angel," the man greets them. Leo pivots to run away from the worst person to be caught by. 

"He's here to help," Angel says, his back to Leo, staring directly into the gaunt face of one Sergio Ramos. 

Ramos stares at them both, mouth open into a grotesque smile of missing and rotting teeth. A chunk of flesh drops from his face and Leo feels sick. 

"You don't have much time, my change has begun. I must be in the tank by the time the gills sprout or I could suffocate." 

Sergio turns and signals the way, his left leg limping worse and worse with each step.

They reach the end of the surrounding foliage, hidden in a grove of trees they stand at the edge of the yard that surrounds the Mayor's home. 

"Guard just started changing. Cristiano is there," Sergio says, pointing at a small window at the corner of the house. "He is in the basement as punishment. He tried to be moved up to make tonight's escape easier but his song had no effect. I'm afraid he is completely out of favor."

Suddenly Sergio bends over and he lets out a groan. It sounds painful even as he tries to muffle it. When he looks up at them his face id covered in a sheen of sweat and he grits out, "Hurry, I can hold it off a little longer. Just get him out, I'll be look out."

The three separately take off across the open grass, crouched they make their way towards the house, converging in the last few yards. 

Upon arriving Angel gets to work with a small knife, edging the window open as Sergio stands guard above them. 

The window pops open and Leo squeezes through first, moving forward to leave space open for Angel. 

The basement is dark and the room is too quiet for Leo's liking, Cristiano's normally noisy tank is suspiciously silent. Angel lands behind Leo with a muffled thump. 

Sneaking along the wall Leo spots him first, floating in green lit murky water Cristiano Ronaldo is every bit the vision that was seared in Leo's mind the night he presented. Though more filled in and with wider shoulders and a six pack the other man is instantly recognizable with his beautiful red scaled tail and gorgeous fins. 

"Cris," Angel hisses. 

"Cristiano," he tries again and Cristiano's eyes shoot open. He looks at Angel first but soon his gaze drifts behind him to where Leo is standing a few feet away. 

"You're here," he croons and Leo finds himself swaying closer, more deeply affected as a human than Angel is as a werewolf. 

"Hurry," Angel says, positioned at a corner of the tank. Cristiano swims up and pulls himself half out.

"I'll need help after," Cristiano hisses even as he begins to transition. 

Leo watches him bite his lip in what must be excruciating pain as he pushes himself up and fully over. Leo dashes forward to help catch him as Angel braces himself. 

A fully nude and seemingly human Cristiano lands in their arms, half woozy with pain he turns and smiles at Leo.

"I'm glad to see you."

A response sticks in Leo's throat. He wants to say something, anything but nothing comes out. 

"Let's go," Angel says, throwing one of Cristiano's arms over his shoulders, Leo grabs the other and they shuffle him towards the window. Sergio peers at them, hair already dark and limbs filling out, he grabs Cristiano from under his arms and pulls. 

His monstrous strength amazes Leo. One of the most painful presentations, Leo feels sorry for Sergio. A normal shifter is ravenous, a malnourished shifter begins to decay as it's own body consumes itself. Yet even under such stress Sergio displays strength equal to the greater Beasts.

He pulls Cristiano out and then Leo gets a boost from Angel, once outside he reaches back in to help him out.

Sergio hands Cristiano back to them and smiles, his face practically a copy of the man in their arms. 

"Freedom, my friend," he says.

"Peace to you," Cristiano responds.

Sergio squeezes himself into the basement and Leo tries to ease the window back into place with his foot. 

They run back across the open grass, praying the guard change ends as it's suppose to and no one arrives early and spots them or Sergio as he sinks himself into the tank.

*~*~*~*

"Cesc will get us passage," Leo tells them once they are miles away. They stop for a break to rest because though Cristiano has gained strength Leo has tired himself out. 

"Sneaky things those gnomes, you trust them?" Angel asks.

"You work with him all the time, why should it be any different this time around?"

Angel shrugs and looks away, his angular features twitching momentarily.

"Leo," Cristiano calls to him, his human voice void of the same melodic notes of his siren call. "Do you think that you could reach out to Marcelo after this is over?"

Leo shoots Cristiano a look of pure disbelief. 

"He's hardly on speed dial, Marcelo is underground. A shaman with his kind of magic is definitely on the governor's list."

"Try Neymar then."

Leo shakes his head, "Caught three months ago with a coven."

Cristiano nods, jaw clenched. "I'll need to..I'll need to ask the water spirits then."

"Why risk that, you know they're just as likely to turn you in. Who are you trying to reach?"

"Sergio," Cristiano says.

Leo flushes, aware that once Sergio is discovered he is as good as dead.

"Fernando can help him. In fact Fernando could have made this whole thing easier."

"We need to get going," Angel interrupts. He reaches over, pulling Cristiano up. Leo stands and they all head further east towards the mountain. 

"He can't," Cristiano says cutting the silence of their trek.

"Who?" Leo asks. 

"Fernando can't. He was banished." 

Leo stumbles.

"That's...that's a declaration of war!" Leo hisses. 

"There's nothing to be done, he's been sent back to the realm of the fays indefinitely."

Suddenly Sergio's features make sense, the Mayor wasn't starving Sergio, Sergio was wasting away from his broken bond. Theirs was a powerful spell broken usually only by the death of the mortal soul, a soul then reborn as one of the fair folk. The idea that the Mayor had pierced their sworn oath and ripped them apart was horrific, beyond offensive and set him on a path of certain destruction.

The Fae would not suffer such an egregious lack of respect. 

"The Governor and the Mayor have made many enemies, having crossing Sergio and Fernando the Mayor has signed his death warrant," Cristiano says, peering down at Leo.

"So you are leaving to save yourself?" Leo asks, horrified. 

"No," he says, looking down at his open palms. "I left because there was nothing else I could do on the inside to atone for my past mistakes. I choose a side for my own benefit, I hurt people and forced my song on others. There is blood on my hands, Leo. I can never wash that off."

Angel looks back at them, face pinched.

"I hurt you," he whispers and Leo nods. "I plan to help, once I'm back in the water."

Leo looks at Cristiano and finds him already staring at him.

"I...will you wait for me, Leo? Will you wait for me to make things right?"

Leo comes to a dead stop. Cristiano looks him straight in the eye and asks again, "I'm sorry, I will always regret my mistakes. I know it's selfish of me but can you wait for me?"

Leo stares at him and the scars on his arms, his sharp cheekbones and the flyaway curl that's laying across his forehead. He stares at the man who gave him his first kiss and first heartbreak. He stares and knows he's missed him terribly, the phantom limb he's been missing for years. He knows without question he wants to see this man everyday for the rest of his life. 

"What's," he starts and has to clear his throat, "What's a little longer? You've already made me wait this long."

The smile Cristiano give him in return is brilliant

**Author's Note:**

> Written for day 5- Non Human with a blink and you'll miss it appearance of the image prompt. 
> 
> I wrote a much longer version of this years ago. It included more people and a lot more world building. Leo was human and Cristiano was a siren but their relationship was non-existent and their first meeting was umm different. I lost that fic and I've mourned it for the longest time. I want to thank the event organizers for the prompt because it was a joy to revisit that idea.


End file.
